Charter boat operator Bob Farrell dies at 79

Robert Paul "Bob" Farrell, 79, of Wrangell, passed away on March 21 in his home.

He will be buried at Sitka National Cemetery on Thursday, May 11.

Bob was born in Boston to Anna Elizabeth McGuigan and John Francis Farrell on May 18, 1943. He went to high school at Needham High School, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1961. He joined the Army on July 22, 1964, and served in Vietnam during the war. He was honorably discharged on July 21, 1970.

Bob went on to earn a certificate in electronics from the Northeast Institute of Industrial Technology. He worked for the state of Alaska as a computer operations supervisor and later ran his own charter boat, the Hattie, out of Juneau and Wrangell.

He first developed a love for the outdoors as a child. He loved camping and spent many hours fishing from his father's boat on the Charles River and in Boston Harbor. "His sense of adventure combined with anything outdoorsy made Alaska a natural choice," his family wrote. "He lived in Wrangell and Southeast Alaska for over 50 years and loved it here so much he never wanted to return to the Lower 48."

He is survived by his sister, Jean Stevens, of Dennis, Massachusetts; nephews Thomas Stevens, of Florida, and Andrew Farrell, of New Hampshire; and nieces Susan (Stevens) Tibbetts, of Massachusetts, and Laurie (Farrell) Brown, also of Massachusetts.

Donations may be made to the American Legion, P.O. Box 1019, Wrangell, AK 99929.